PERSON OF THE WEEK: 2013 Corrections Officer of the Year is parade dignitary

Ron McComb, an officer at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Easton Township, was named the 2013 Corrections Officer of the Year, and honored during Michigan Correctional Officers Week in early May.

When the Ionia Free Fair Parade gets under way today, there will be a man on board one of the floats who is somewhat of a star in the field of corrections.

Ron McComb, an officer at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Easton Township, was named the 2013 Corrections Officer of the Year, and honored during Michigan Correctional Officers Week in early May.

McComb joined the Michigan Department of Corrections in 1986 in Jackson as a corrections medical aide. In 1990 he transferred to St. Louis Correctional Facility as an officer, and in 2001 moved to Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility.

In his career with the MDOC, McComb has worked with six directors, 10 wardens, 14 captains, 33 lieutenants, numerous sergeants, “and hundreds of real quality officers,” he said in his acceptance speech at a banquet honoring him and other corrections personnel.

“I would be nothing without any of them. This is one occupation that you cannot go it alone,” he said. “I am proud to represent my fellow officers, working Michigan’s most dangerous job, and doing it well, day in and day out.”

McComb credits his parents for all that he is today. They were hard workers, generous and loving, and from them he learned the “art” of work, he said.

“They donated time and energy, living lessons, not to judge people,” he said. “We got our play time, but they made sure we understood our work was done first. We got to see the other side of life, how the other side lives. Dad said everybody’s had hardships, but it’s important to make good decisions. Those are lessons I take with me my entire life.”

A colleague, Barbara Miller, called McComb’s interpersonal and communication skills “remarkable” in her nomination form for the recognition.

“He treats inmates with a reciprocal level of respect, and is constant in his demeanor,” she said. “Inmates know what to expect regarding their conduct and the same standards are applied daily to each inmate. Officer McComb constantly challenges inmates to think better of themselves, and constantly gets them to plan short, midterm and long-range goals to their future.”

Outside of work, McComb has been named Coach of the Year in DeWitt in 2000 and 2005, where he coaches basketball, soccer and softball. He’s also served as a volunteer for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program in Ingham County, and Angel House, a safe house for abused children.

“You can’t judge people,” he said. “We’re all flawed. Every one of us.”